If there is any seriousness to this, I think the best way to learn to place gear is to make natural anchors for top-ropes. Then you get some climbing experience while you are learning to suss out anchor systems, and then it's a pretty small leap to placing gear on lead. Your shaking leg and hershey squirts and widening eyes will tell you when to back off.

Go to the Owens River Gorge. Spend a month in the pit late winter. Do not go bouldering. Many of the walls there have a progression of 5.7, 5.8, 5.9. 5.10 & lots harder. 5.10 is what you want to aim for. If you can lead 5.10, you probably have a million routes at your disposal. There's a bit of a jump from 5.8 to 5.9 that takes faith in your climbing ability. The jump from 5.9 to 5.10 is much blurrier. And they both have many shades of grey (granite). Fact, many 5.9's feel like 5.10a.

Have fun. That's waaaaay more important than grades

locker, I still get kinda pissed when I have days like that, but I'm afraid my off-the-couch is about 5.7 these days.

+1 on what Karo said. Milage feeling solid & then push into short, well protected sections of whatever feels hard for yah. My first 5.9 trad lead was Grant's Crack on Swan Slab in the Valley. Very short, very well protected, very clean.